Before you swear off meat altogether, you need to know that adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet is not as easy as just taking the meat out of your burger and eating the buns.
Vegetarian and vegan diets are healthy, nutritionally adequate and may prevent and treat some diseases; they are naturally low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fibre, which may help to prevent heart disease, diabetes, kidney stones and some cancers.
Here are five fun facts about vegetarians/vegans and seven venues to enjoy a meal:
•1.3 billion people could be fed by the grain that is currently eaten by livestock for meat production.
•It takes 95 litres of water to produce 500 grams of wheat, but 950 litres to produce 500 grams of meat.
•Chinese people living on a mainly vegetarian diet consume 20% more calories than Americans, but the Yanks are 20% fatter.
•It takes 60 calories of oil to produce 1 calorie of meat.
•84% of food poisoning is due to eating infected meat.
An alliance of fire, stone and steel, forged in a deliciously rugged fashion, Brown Street Grill is the hip Perth dining destination for all things wood-fired and charcoal grilled. Situated within Bright Tank Brewing Company, this restaurant is the brainchild of hospitality stalwarts Stuart and Phoebe Laws and showcases WA produce cooked by smoke and flames.
There are plenty of vegetarian options on the menu including salt-baked celeriac, Autumn mushrooms and pecorino, along with char-grilled broccolini, macadamia hummus, agrodoce and puffed grain muesli.
Veg Me Up is a Melbourne plant-based meal-kit delivery service bringing fresh produce and easy-to-cook recipes direct to your door. With rotating classics and new plant-based dishes on offer every week, you’ll always find something you love; eat well and reduce your footprint through tempting meals made with seasonal and mostly locally sourced vegetables, minimal waste and environmentally-friendly packaging.
Think choices such as miso pasta with salsa verde, Thai tofu satay and yellow rice and black bean soup with avocado; while online you will find delicious recipes and meal plans to make feeding the family as easy as possible.
Encounter the exotic at ZA ZA TA on Ann Street in Fortitude Valley – a place where worlds and cultures collide amongst a sprawling, colonial backdrop and buzzing open kitchen. This Brisbane bar and vegetarian kitchen packs a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern punch from handmade uniforms to nostalgic Afro-beat melodies bouncing off the walls and eclectic artwork scattered throughout the various themed rooms.
Expect warming food for the soul with dishes such as cauliflower shawarma with amba labneh, green mango and curry leaf; or devour field mushroom manoush, old school hummus and hand-stretched silverbeet, feta borek fingers.
In a light-filled heritage-listed building in the heart of Parkside, find East Borough Eatery on Glen Osmond Road where modern twists on brunch and lunch dishes are sure to tempt. Archways, wall murals, polished wood floors and cabinets overflowing with all manner of treats are sure to entice; sit a spell and ponder a menu with a variety of vegan and vegetarian options along with café favourites.
Drop by early for a classic plate of dirty honey pumpkin with poached pear, vine-ripened tomatoes, feta, balsamic glaze, dirty honey, apple and a poached egg; while the lunch crowd opts for penne pasta, tossed with basil pesto, cherry tomato, Parmesan and rocket.
A diet that’s healthy for your body and mind should be built on wholesome, fresh foods and that’s what you’ll find on the plate at Kindness Vegan Kitchen on Palmer Street in Darlinghurst. This Asian fusion restaurant projects a bright and breezy vibe with alfresco dining beckoning on balmy days; while indoors blends white table settings and subway tiles with potted greenery for a calming oasis to dine by.
Join friends for lunch and chow down on plates like tomato rice and caramelised vegan duck, fresh cucumber and tomato slices, vegan fish sauce and sauerkraut; or wrap your mouth around a Massaman spiced pulled soy-pork burger, with red cabbage slaw, jackfruit, jalapeño and chips.
Refined, creative, plant-based comfort food is on the menu at Secret Creek Vegan Event Space on Crane Road in Lithgow. This rustic wedding, special events and dining destination is tucked away in a wildlife sanctuary just west of the Blue Mountains, where native animals and birds abound in 200 acres of tranquillity.
Expect an ever-changing menu of sustainable fare matched with local vegan wines - perhaps delve into the likes of Seitan steak, shiitake mushrooms, garlic green beans, fried shallots and jus; while sweet tooths opt for milk and honey panna cotta, honeycomb and white chocolate.
Priding itself on serving cruelty-free vegetarian cuisine is Joy Veg Fruit Dining, a popular restaurant of Belmore along Canterbury Road. Inside, a spacious dining room oozes a casual sophistication with rich polished timber décor and warm lighting, making an ideal place for families, friends and couples to enjoy ambient feasts together.
Take time to peruse an entirely vegetarian selection inspired by Asian flavours, with choices like deep-fried and stir-fried Lingzhi mushrooms with mixed vegetables, or a seaweed and tofu parcel roll, with housemade sauce.
Click on vegan or vegetarian for more options near you.
